The episode marked the final appearance of longtime cast member Ramirez, who had been part of the series since Season 2. Ramirez announced their departure, stating they were "taking some welcome time off" as their character moved to New York with her daughter.
Upon its original broadcast, "Family Affair" was watched by 8.19 million viewers in the United States, ranking #2 in its time-slot, and earned a 2.3/9 Nielsen rating in the 18–49 demographic. The episode received positive reviews from critics, with praise directed towards the performances of Ramirez and Capshaw.
Plot
The episode opens with a voice-over narration from Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) about questioning the limits of love and embracing the courage to believe in its boundless potential.
Meanwhile, April Kepner (Sarah Drew), who is serving as Owen's best man, realizes she has forgotten the wedding rings and rushes back to Meredith's house with Ben Warren (Jason George) to retrieve them. However, as April's contractions intensify, Ben is forced to perform an emergency C-section, successfully delivering her baby.
Elsewhere, tensions rise between Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) and Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington) as Jo refuses his marriage proposal, leading Alex to storm out in frustration. Jo, devastated, gets drunk at Joe's bar, and Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) offers to take her home. In a moment of vulnerability, Jo reveals that she is already married to an abusive man, explaining her reluctance to marry Alex. Just as Andrew is helping her, Alex walks in, misunderstands the situation, and angrily punches Andrew.
Despite her earlier doubts, Amelia returns to the wedding and ultimately marries Owen. During the ceremony, Nathan Riggs (Martin Henderson) shares a lingering look with Meredith, which does not go unnoticed. Maggie confides in Meredith that she has feelings for Nathan, leaving Meredith shocked and conflicted.
The episode marked the final appearance of long-time cast member Sara Ramirez, who portrayed Callie Torres on Grey's Anatomy since 2006.[1] Their character's storyline involved a custody battle with ex-wife Arizona Robbins, played by Jessica Capshaw, which culminated in Callie's decision to move to New York City from Seattle.[2] Following the season finale, Ramirez posted a note on Twitter on May 19, announcing they were "taking some welcome time off."[3] Showrunner Shonda Rhimes responded to the announcement, saying, "I will miss Callie tremendously, but am excited for what the future holds for Sara. She will always have a home at Shondaland."[3]
Speaking at the Vulture Festival in New York City on May 22, Rhimes revealed that she was unaware of Ramirez's decision to leave until after filming had wrapped for the finale. She explained that Callie's exit wasn't part of the original plan, stating, “This one was different because it wasn’t a big planned thing. I had a different plan going, and when Sara came in and said, ‘I really need to take this break,’ I was lucky that we’d shot the end of the season with her going to New York City.”[4]
Release
"Family Affair" was originally broadcast on May 19, 2016, on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. It served as the season finale for the twelfth season of Grey's Anatomy. Upon its initial release, the episode was watched by 8.19 million viewers and scored a 2.3/9 in the key 18–49 demographic, according to Nielsen ratings.[5] This marked an increase from the previous episode, "At Last", which had 7.77 million viewers and a 2.1/8 rating share.[6] The episode ranked #12 in overall viewership and #4 in the 18–49 demographic, making it the second-most watched drama of the night.[7]
